I Just Want to Sleep!
by neko no warai
Summary: Gaara thought it would be easy to sleep once the Akatsuki stole his demon, but as hard as he tried, sleep would never come. The reason? A certain blond shinobi was constantly dancing in his thoughts. So he’s decided to get help. //GaaNaru-ish//


Summary: Gaara thought that it would be easy to go to sleep once the Akatsuki stole his demon, but no matter how hard he tried, sleep would never come. The reason? A certain blond shinobi was constantly dancing in his thoughts. So he's decided to get help. _//Cute, fluffy GaaNaru friendship. One-shot.//_

Words: 3,345

Notes: You can guess how I got the idea ^^ Surprisingly, I got to sleep that night, and then wrote this the next morning.

* * *

**I Just Want to Sleep!**

It's not my fault that I was born with a demon inside of me. It's not my fault no one loved me. And it's definitely not my fault that the Akatsuki decided to take that demon out of me. If you had to live with a demon that would possess you and ravage your mind when you slept, would you be able to rest?

Just because the demon is gone, doesn't mean I can just drift into dream-land as soon as my head hits the pillow. First, there's the residual anxiety that I'll become a demon and kill everyone around me. Then, when I get past that, I fear that I'll go to bed and never get up again. And finally, after I've put aside my petty concerns, a certain blue-eyed blond invades my thoughts.

It's not my fault my mind won't let me rest. I blame the fox boy. But that's besides the point. I'm tired. I don't like lying in bed, waiting for sleep to come when it never does. I want to go to sleep, like every other pathetic human on this earth. Is that too much to ask?

Apparently so, seeing as I'm still awake and my thoughts continue to rant in my head, proving to me that sleep is unattainable. I hate thinking, I've decided that. But what can I do about it? I can't just go up to the civilians of my village and say, "Your kazekage can't sleep. Can you help him?"

Then again, maybe I can. Perhaps asking for *shudder* _help_ isn't such a bad idea. I mean, Temari falls asleep so easily, and Kankuro has to be asleep if he snores so loud. They might help me. Yes, that is a good idea. Meanwhile, I'll just let my thoughts drift back to the blond one…

~*I*~*N*~*S*~*O*~*M*~*N*~*I*~*A*~

(The next day)

Where's that sister of mine when I need her? She's always been there before, so why not now? I finally accept that I need _help_, and I can't find Temari anywhere. Oh, wait, is that her? Talking to the boy with the ponytail? I remember him; he says everything is "troublesome". Well, I'll show him what he gets for talking to my sister…

Oops, my sand is getting restless again. Calm thoughts, calm thoughts… he won't hurt her, he won't take her away from me, the blond's hair looks really soft… I'm calm now. I'll just slowly make my way over there, so as not to cause harm to the boy Temari's talking to.

"Temari?" I ask, keeping my voice void of emotion.

She looks over at me, annoyance in plain view, "What is it, Gaara? I was having a decent conversation with Shikamaru, I'll have you know." Shikamaru, yes, that was the pony-tailed one's name.

I look at him, silently ordering him to go away for a little. I imagine the cold glare on my face is making the message quite clear. I can almost feel the shudder run up his spine. I love it when that happens.

"Um, I'll just, uh, be right back so you can talk to your, uh, brother, Temari-chan," Shikamaru stumbles. I think that's the most I've ever heard him say. Not that I usually listen to him. Hey, why is he in Suna anyways?

Temari looks at him, "Alright, but we won't be long." And with that, the obstacle formerly known as Shikamaru was gone. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now.

Oww! Hey, why did Temari hit me on the head? What did I do?

"You chased away my next boyfriend, baka!" Oh, that's what I did. *shrug* Nothing I can do about that now.

I look at her in what I hope is a semi-innocent pleading look, "Temari, I have a problem." Concern lights up her face, and suddenly I feel bad for chasing away her boyfriend.

"What is it, Gaara-kun?" A warm feeling bubbled up inside me; she only says that when we're alone.

I take a deep breath, "I can't sleep."

She blinks, "What?"

"I can't sleep," I repeat, a little more slowly.

"But you don't have Shukaku in you anymore!"

I look away, "I know." I almost miss the demon-bastard. Almost.

She sighs and puts a hand on top of my head. I must resist the urge to allow my sand to cut off the hand that touches me. She means to be comforting, not a threat. You got that, sand? She's _not_ a threat. My sand settles back in its gourd. I still don't go anywhere without it.

Oh, she's speaking again, "There are a few ways that have helped me sleep before. They might help you too."

"Really?"

She nods, "Yeah. Let's see, how about the deep breathing technique?" I blink, not having a clue what she was talking about. The only time I used any form of deep breathing was when I had to stop myself from killing people.

"How do I do that?" I ask.

"Well, you concentrate on every breath you take, I guess. You take a deep, exaggerated breath, and feel it fill your entire body, then hold it for as long as you can before forcing it all out. As you're doing that, feel the air as it comes in and goes out. Keep doing that until you fall asleep." Hmm, that seems boring. But I suppose sleep isn't meant to be fun.

"Thanks, Temari," I say, already leaving.

"Anytime, Gaara-kun. If you need me, I'll be with Shikamaru."

The rest of my day goes by slowly, everything is normal. I almost look forward to going to sleep tonight.

~*I*~*N*~*S*~*O*~*M*~*N*~*I*~*A*~

(That night)

Deep breath in. _The air flows in through my nose, filling my lungs, my stomach._

Hold. _Pressure. My brain not getting oxygen. Need to continue breathing._

Deep breath out. _It turns around, emptying from my lungs and mixing with the air around me._

Breathe in. _I can smell the scent of my pillow in this breath. How odd._

Hold. _I don't like holding my breath. Time to let it out._

Breathe out. _I wonder what Naruto smells like…_

Stop. Did I just think that? No, I must banish these thoughts. They don't allow me to get to sleep. Let's try again.

Breathe in._ Air filling the lungs and stomach…_

Hold. _Lack of oxygen…_

Breathe out. _Keep thoughts off of the blond…_

No! It's not working! Gah! Stupid blond, stupid mind. I hate you, brain! Why can't you be silent! I will come in there and forcefully shut you up myself! You'll see, I'll enlist the help of every friend I have, which happens to be limited to my siblings and the blond…

Needless to say. I didn't get any sleep that night.

~*I*~*N*~*S*~*O*~*M*~*N*~*I*~*A*~

The next day, I avoided Temari. I knew that if I were to see her, I wouldn't be able to stop the glare from surfacing, and I didn't want her to be upset with me. Instead, I went to find Kankuro. Maybe his advice would be more helpful, assuming he can think long enough to come up with advice.

That's not fair. He's actually pretty smart, and the way he makes those puppets is amazing, though I'll never tell him that. I also won't tell him that I admire him, to some extent. No, he doesn't need to know that. At least he's easier to find than Temari was.

"Hey lil' bro, what's up?"

I have no intention of asking for help from him directly; he would gloat, "How do you fall asleep?"

He raised his eyebrow. It's times like these I wish I had eyebrows too, just so I could imitate the action. I glare at him, as I've done so often in the past. I can see him getting slightly nervous, and, as predicted, he answers.

"W-well, it's not exactly rocket science, yanno. I just lay down in bed, and think about something I like." And then he goes and gets this dreamy look on his face, "Like brown-haired girls in skimpy bikinis, short blondes with revealing dresses, and those beautiful black-haired ones that are in the process of removing their—" And then I whack him on the head. I do NOT want to hear his perverted fantasies. Especially since I long ago learned that I would never have similar fantasies.

Mine consisted of a single blond, with vibrant blue eyes, and soft, spiky hair. Oh, and whisker marks, courtesy of the kyuubi… oops, I think I'd better go now. Don't want Kankuro to see the blood…

~*I*~*N*~*S*~*O*~*M*~*N*~*I*~*A*~

(That night)

Think about something I like. Hmm. Well, that can't be too hard. Now what do I like? I like blood. It comes with both death, and life. And the colour is so vibrant. But then, there's so much of it trapped in my sand. My mother's blood…

No, I can't think of blood. It brings bad memories. What else… sand. I don't know what I'd do without my sand. The way it listens to me, like no one else would. How it swirls under my control. Sand covers all of Suna, always unpredictable. Yet it protected me, shielded me against countless enemies. Then the blond went and broke through it.

That's something else I like; the blond. I like his determination, his will to be the greatest. I like how, even though he lives with the kyuubi sealed inside him, and a village that won't accept him, he still has precious people. I like how he saved me, not once, but twice. From my demon, and from the Akatsuki.

I like how he taught me to love, and how my heart is in turmoil because of him. I like how he has control over me without even knowing it, but he doesn't threaten me with that control. I like…

Once again, the attempt at sleeping proved to be futile.

~*I*~*N*~*S*~*O*~*M*~*N*~*I*~*A*~

I wonder who else might be able to help me sleep. If my siblings are out of the question, then who else? There is that boy Temari likes, Shikamaru. He's not a bad sort, as far as I learned, and I've heard he's a genius. Would a genius know how to sleep?

Might as well go for it; I've already lost all dignity in front of the Leaf nins. Now to find him… well, I see Kankuro, over at that store that I won't step foot in, and there are some of those pesky children who look up to me (no, I do _not_ feel pride of any sort when they stare at me with those admiring eyes, of course not…), and there's Temari, walking in the sand park, and some more children… wait, did I say Temari?

Yes, I did. Over in the park. And where there's Temari, there's Shikamaru. I love it when that happens.

I decide approaching them soundlessly wouldn't help get on their good sides, so instead I walk up to them in the open, my sand poised to protect me at any moment. I may not have the control I used to have with Shukaku, but that doesn't mean my sand is useless. I'll just have to work harder.

Temari sees me, "Gaara? What is it now?"

I ignore her and go straight to Shikamaru, "Can I talk to you?"

I see panic streak across his face for a moment, and then all traces vanish, "Sure." I give Temari a look that both says "this isn't important, so don't worry" and "go away". My hope is to get rid of her without worrying. She looks at me suspiciously but turns to leave.

I hear Shikamaru sigh, "This is just too troublesome."

I resist the urge to glare at him with intense killer intent, only because I have a question, "How can I fall asleep?" I don't poke around the issue, nor do I pretend I don't need help, like I did with Kankuro. I have a feeling this shinobi would figure it out anyway.

Indeed, he looks at me with calculating eyes, as if he can read everything I didn't say. I remain emotionless as he continues to examine me. Then, realization flitters across his face and I see him visibly relax.

"Try picturing a waterfall. It should be calming, and within ten minutes, you should fall asleep," he informs me, sounding as if he doesn't care one way or another. I nod as if I understand, then abruptly stop.

Then I blink, "What's a waterfall?"

He looks at me, and I can see the sarcastic remarks he wants to make about my intelligence, but he smartly refrains from doing so, "Well, it's like a cliff, that water falls off of."

I raise an eyebrow, "A cliff… with falling water…" I think of all the cliffs I've seen, the biggest one being the Hokage mountain back in Konohagakure. And then I think of falling water, which I know to be rain. Hokage mountain, plus rain, equals a very confused Gaara.

Nonetheless, I shrug and, seeing Temari on her way back, continue on with my day, bothering no one, and doing paperwork. For once, I don't have a certain blond in my head. Instead, I see a head-mountain with a rain cloud over it.

~*I*~*N*~*S*~*O*~*M*~*N*~*I*~*A*~

(That night)

A waterfall, he said. Picture a waterfall. Well, if he says so. Water… falling… there, I can see one. The water (which resembles rain) is falling only on top of the fourth Hokage's head.

I go up to it, letting the rain-water hit the back of my outstretched hand. Drip, drip, plop. Then I inspect it from a different angle, as if it will help me sleep faster. It still isn't very interesting. In fact, this has to be the most boring way to fall asleep yet.

Wait, what's that, under the water? Hmm, bright orange, with a bit of black and blue, and some yellow on top, and… oh… wow, he looks good when he's wet…

Attempt #3: failed. Miserably.

~*I*~*N*~*S*~*O*~*M*~*N*~*I*~*A*~

I was starting to get annoyed. In fact, I was so sick of staying up all night that I decided I would do whatever it took to fall asleep, starting with finding better help. I've given up on the citizens of Suna; they all seem to think Kazekages shouldn't sleep anyway.

And thus, I was headed for Konohagakure, village hidden in the leaves. I told Temari to take my place, temporarily, until I learned how to fall asleep. There is one good thing about not sleeping, though; it lets me travel to Konoha without stopping halfway.

Nonetheless, it was dark by the time I finally reached the village. Even the guards were asleep on their feet. I envy them. But I will not kill them for bringing this feeling up inside of me. No, I am the better man.

*Snort* well, at least that's what I tell myself. I just can't be bothered to waste my time on them. Instead, I easily slip past them and into the village. Just like back home, though I'm not sure how much of a "home" it is, all is quiet. Well, except for the crickets and cicadas, as well as that drunk guy I can hear a mile away, and those teenagers looking for the thrill of sneaking around at night…

Okay, so all is not entirely quiet, but not much is happening, regardless. Unfortunately, this means I won't see any of the people I'm looking for. I was half-heartedly hoping to find that blond that hasn't left my mind, or at least his pink-haired friend, though I hate listening to her squeal about that _traitor_ of an Uchiha. Stupid duck-butt hair, hurting my kitsune.

It was during this train of highly amusing thought that I ran into a blond-haired girl. Literally. She turned to undoubtedly scowl at me, but, seeing my cold glare and possibly recognising the kanji character on my forehead, she instead jumped back into a fighting position.

Ahhh, now I know who she is; she was the one who fought against the pink-haired friend of Naruto. She had the same pony-tailed hair then too. That was a boring fight. I didn't even have the urge to kill those two.

"What are you doing here?" she hisses. I carefully examine her, looking to see if she might be able to answer my question. Maybe not, considering she's up at this hour. Oh well, what's the harm in asking?

I carefully keep my voice void of emotion, "How do you fall asleep?" I leave no room for refusal in my cold voice.

She raises a fine, blond eyebrow, "What?" I wonder if she knows how lucky she is to have eyebrows…

Back to the sleeping-issue, "How do you fall asleep?"

Suddenly, it seems as though her mouth runs away with her, "Why on earth do you want to know that, you eyeliner-wearing cross dresser?!" *Snap*

…What… did… she… call me?! I can already feel my sand raising up around me as my killer intent starts to seep into the air. She's not going to make it though the night, not if I have anything to say about it.

"H-hey, I was just k-kidding, ya know," she tried pitifully. I love it when they beg; it makes squeezing the life out of their body all that much more pleasing…

"Gaara?" a new voice calls, one that sets off the butterflies in my stomach and causes my heart to clench painfully. My sand drops, and I turn around.

The blond kitsune is staring at me oddly, a walrus sleeping cap on his head. There's no hate in those eyes, no judgement, just adorable confusion. The girl is forgotten, and has probably run away by now.

"What're you doing out here, Gaara?" he asks me as he comes to stand in front of me.

I answer without hesitation, as if his mere presence makes me want to open up, "I can't sleep."

I see the thought being processed through his mind before he smiles, "Is that all?" I'd love to answer, but that smile threw me completely out of my mind, and I find myself unable even to think properly.

He continues without waiting for a response, "Have you tried picturing a waterfall?"

What is it with Konoha nins and waterfalls?! Is it, like, some secret code, or something? Regardless, I am now back in my mind and able to answer properly.

"Yes, and deep breathing, and thinking about things I like, it just doesn't work."

Suddenly, his smile widens, "You know what always helped me get to sleep?" he asks, not expecting an answer, "Sleeping with a teddy bear. But I never had a teddy bear, so I found out something better."

My invisible eyebrows draw together, "What?"

"I found people. After all, they're so much warmer and more cuddly than teddy bears." And with that simple, naïve statement, I'm blushing madly.

Then, before I can say anything, he grabs my hand and begins to drag me who-knows-where. The blush refuses to go away as I blindly follow my kitsune. Within moments, I'm outside his house, being taken in as if I were a stray.

"N-Naruto? What are you doing?" I ask, unable to help the stumble in my voice.

"Helping you sleep, of course!" And he proceeds to push me onto his somewhat small bed. When he climbs into bed next to me and pulls the covers up to our chins, I lose all clarity of thought. Everything goes into a jumbled mess of "he's sleeping with me", "his arm is touching me", and "I can smell his shampoo".

But then he turns and snuggled into me, and I can't help but allow my own arms to entwine around him. The scent of his hair in my nose, I find my body shutting down on me as a comfortable darkness begins to engulf me. My mind is no longer racing because the object of my thoughts is in my arms. Within moments, I've finally fallen into a peaceful sleep.

My last coherent thought: _I could get used to this._


End file.
